Dental Implant FAQWhy should I replace a missing tooth with an implant? Here are some useful answers to this question: Without an implant to replace missing teeth, the bone will dissolve and weaken.![]() This condition is known as disuse atrophy. When you lose a tooth, it is important to replace the missing tooth with a dental implant as soon as possible. Studies show that within the very first year after tooth loss, the bone can dissolve by up to 50% Placing an implant as soon as possible will help the bone remain strong. Atrophy can happen to both muscles and bone without a dental implant, which can result in changes to facial shape and structure as well as reduced lip support. ![]() Click here to see Dr Craig talk more about what happens to the jaw bones when dental implants are delayed. Implants help keep the remaining teeth from wearing out too quickly.![]() This is a perfect analogy for what happens when we lose teeth and need to replace those missing teeth with dental implants. Not counting our wisdom teeth, we have 16 teeth designed to do all of our chewing. For every tooth that is lost and not replaced with a dental implant, you effectively lose the chewing capacity of not just that tooth but also the one opposing it. So having 2 teeth pulled and not replacing them with a dental implant results in the loss of chewing power for 4 teeth! Just like a team of people that is overworked, tired and stressed, your teeth will wear out much sooner if the chewing power is not restored with dental implants. Worn out teeth will “quit” prematurely, meaning they will fail and may need to be extracted, too. ![]() Teeth that are overworked and not supported by dental implants to replace the missing teeth are more susceptible to wear, to cracks, to fracture and even sometimes to decay. Dental implants can help prevent a multitude of expensive problems down the road. ![]() This problem can be resolved by replacing missing teeth with dental implants early. It’s never going to be more affordable than it is today. Keep your teeth healthy over the long term by replacing missing teeth with dental implants for a lifetime of function and beauty! Appropriate spacing is maintained with implants.“Who cares about the spacing or crowding in teeth if nobody can see back there anyway?” This is a question that has been asked by thousands of patients. The answer is that spacing and crowding is about way more than just cosmetics! Our teeth are designed to have specific spacing (or lack of spacing) between them. When a tooth is missing, it needs to be replaced by a dental implant so that the spacing can be maintained. Failing to replace a missing tooth with a dental implant causes the surrounding teeth to “tip” into the missing space. Consider this x-ray: ![]() See how the second to the last two teeth on the bottom are diagonal? These teeth used to be straight! When the patient had a tooth pulled, the missing tooth should have been replaced by a dental implant. It was not replaced with a dental implant, so the back teeth have tipped forward in an unhealthy way into that space. ![]() When this happens, the tipped teeth also need to be extracted and the patient is left with multiple missing teeth. This leads to accelerated tooth loss elsewhere in the mouth and can be extraordinarily expensive to fix. Dental implants, when done immediately, are far less costly than when dental implants are delayed. It’s important to use dental implants to maintain the appropriate spacing between teeth so that additional problems can be avoided in the future. Implants can help keep your TMJ healthy.![]() A typical joint consists of the lower jaw, the base of the skull, and a cartilage disc along with some fluid to act as a shock absorber. The joint is located just in front of the ear canal. This is why sometimes, when the disc pops or clicks, it can sound very loud to a patient—because it is in such close proximity to their eardrum. TMD can be caused by missing teeth, especially when those teeth have not been replaced by something such as a dental implant. While it’s not appropriate to say that dental implants directly cause TMD to improve or that dental implants can, with 100% certainty cure TMD, missing teeth that are not replaced by dental implants can lead to bone loss and an imbalanced bite where one side is higher than the other. ![]() Unfortunately, once TMJ problems arise, it is exceedingly difficult and unpredictable to treat. It’s not uncommon for a patient to forego dental implants to replace missing teeth only to end up with TMJ problems down the road. The treatments sometimes don’t work, and the joint may never achieve full health again. Chronic pain is not uncommon in patients with TMJ disorders. By keeping the bite balanced with dental implants wherever there are missing teeth, TMJ problems are much less frequent and much less severe. It just makes sense to have a dental implant placed to restore a missing tooth now and hopefully avoid TMJ problems that can be caused by delaying dental implant treatment. Affordable implants are today’s treatment.![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The cost of dental implant therapy is cheaper today than it ever will be in the future, especially if complications develop over time. |
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